The lesson learned here, FEED YOUR MICE BETTER! Ok, I know. My daughter's '69 el Camino sat for 22 years, 15 of them were in a barn surrounded by black berries. The mice thought the exhaust system was a hotel. Rotted the entire exhaust including the Hooker headers. The found a couple valves stopped in overlap and managed to get past both valves and fill one plane of the intake with the remains of the seeds. They peed on the #5 exhust valve and it eroded from 2 3/16" down to 1 13?16". I had removed all the plugs and squirted oil in all the cylinders and changed the oil and primed it with a pump driver. It fired right up and died 5 times, the last time with a "clink". The head on #5 exhaust broke when the valve stayed open. It's OK, though, I found the valve - it went through the 1 1/2" x 4" hole it knocked out of the cylinder wall. Luckily, it wasn't the original block. Now it's got a brand new "72 402 short block. Yes, at my expense. I'm a good dad. Poor but, good. From now on I'm plugging the tail pipes!
Old general motors cars from this time period are the best cars ever made. New enough to be reasonably safe and fuel efficient. Old enough to be able to work on. That mystery connector looks like it might be a General Motors oxygen sensor connector, but I could be wrong. Fixing this car is a no brainer, at least to me. No newer used car will be as simple and reliable as this. And the 2.8/3.1 engine family is great too.
My car that gets stored in the barn is covered in moth balls, peppermint pouches and surrounded by mouse bait. Otherwise it would smell like mouse pee all summer.
I have a customer in his 80's who bought this EXACT car after I told him to buy a Toyota Avalon for a solid car . When he showed up with this heap , I told him it was junk as it rolled off the end of the assembly line new back in the 90's . He has paid me many $$ to keep this turd on the road. I am begging you to please tow this piece of junk to the scrap yard and save much grief in the future. You are welcome.
I turned it back to the customer and declined to fix it. It's nice to have someone know the real work it takes to fix a car like this one. And the coast it takes. Thank you for the comments!
It'd probably cost more than the car is worth just to fix the wiring properly. That isn't even mentioning the possible engine and transmission issues that will come up after you get it running again.
Did you ever wonder why you can buy some cars so cheap on facebook? Starting back in the 1990's home owners insurance underwriters started putting pressure on home owners to remove any motor vehicles that do not have current vehicle registration and are considered by them as inoperable. They usually give you six weeks to remove the car(s) or truck(s) or your policy will be considered as no longer renewable. The insurance companies have contractor photographers that are sent to take pictures of your property looking for things such as any vehicles that children can be injured while playing upon while illegally trespassing on your property. This statement is based on my own personal experience.
Need to basically rewire and replace all the hoses plus recondition all the key systems, otherwise no trust in the vehicle. Tires go without saying of course you have to replace all of them. All new fluids, probably need a bunch of new seals and gaskets too. Hard to think it is worth it, unless diy project.
If it’s rusty it’s a parts car now. If the body is good it’s perfect for someone with good wiring and drivetrain but rusty body to make a good running car.
Oh yeah if the body and frame are good, I'll keep fixing my car for as long as I can. The moment the rust is able to be broken off with my hand, "bye bye" or I'm welding something back on if it's nothing too major
That's a really good point. They can do some crazy things. I have found exhaust full of dog food. But with enough time, what you went through, I'm sure this would have been in the same boat.
Thanks for another interesting video. Replacing all that wiring looks like a hobbyist job, not a job for a person trying to make a profit on the vehicle.
Oh yes they do! I got an old Mitzi Lancer (1500cc) that had been sitting in a farmer's paddock for quite a few years. When I got it home on a trailer and looked underneath it, it was just a rust bucket. Upper shell looked quite reasonable.
Over and over, when I drive my 50 year old cars around, someone will come up and tell me they have something in their garage with no miles on it, and now it has a leaky oil pan, or the tires are rotted, etc. I tell them to plan on spending $1500 to get it running again. Change all the fluids, filters, tires, and have the brakes gone over. If you want to own an old car, drive it. They are not coffee tables. Don't let them fall apart. If nothing else, sell them to someone who will appreciate them. Don't hoard things you don't have a use for.
I just watched the first video and never gave thought of a follow up. I am a seventy four year old man who worked years ago as a mechanic. What I am thinking aliens with my first glimpse of it. Cost of repairs outway the real value left for a sellable vehicle. You doing your own work saves a ton of money but even your time is not free. A replacement wiring harness to alleviate chasing your tail is easier but expensive, likely not available either. I look at it as a parts car, and only someone who has to fix temporarily a rig to go to work, spite smell and loss of heat or air... even filters are very expensive now. I would not trust the best tire for a good spare.
I would ballpark repair costs at about $800 to $1000, including new tires, and you should be able to sell it around $3500.00. Thank you for sharing , Have a good week!
I would say if you can repair your self your in the ballpark. If you're paying a shop, probably double that. It's still probably a better car than most new cars being sold today. Thank you for the comments!
You’re dreaming in technicolor. Including tires? Not including a minute of labour of course. Don’t see it, even if you get the cheapest chinese crap on ebay or amazon.
@@scrambaba $400 for 4 tires, 250 for Front rotors/calipers/pads, rear shoes/wheel cylinders, right axle. Oil change $25, Estimate $100 for wiring connectors as needed. Drums? Maybe the old ones are reusable or cuttable. And that is US prices. You spelled Labor Labour, so I would assume you are not from US?
@@mph5896 haha yes in Canada, prices a fair bit higher than for you. Well maybe it could be done but you have to reckon in surprises too. Why was the car parked in the first place?
I was educated about the tires after 6 years the dry rot even though the tread looked good, the tires need replacing! The wiring harness[s] has to be a real challenge! Lastly how much will the car even be worth repaired. Sounds more like a scrap for body parts!
thas a $1000-2000 car running on FB marketplace... to fix that hunk of junk yourself wouldnt be that much but take time, to pay someone.. its worth more in parts.. junk it.. its 28 years old.. not a popular antique car... its worth nothing
@@dustinatwood7077 if it was sentimental or like a daily driver and i needed it. Then id fix it. But a car you wanna sell thats already worth nothing. It isnt worth it. Strip it for parts scrap the rest
Someone else see I know hard understand but sometimes you got one ideas or functions or use or purpose well someone else prefer it that way truthfully lot people want transplant drive train you think logic when other people going do few wires
Hi Dustin: Just curious as to where was the car sitting, if outside (for the looks of it that seems the case) or in an enclosed garage. I own a 2006 Toyota 4Runner which I have kept in storage and only has 6,700 mile, however, I check on it almost weekly and take it for a short drive as well. I change the oil annually and check the tire pressure every 2 weeks. Keep it immaculate, including the undercarriage and have not noticed any signs of damage in the wiring or plastic components. Is this enough or should I be doing other things? Please advise. Thanks!
Great question. I should have put that in the video. The past owner parked it in the yard for years. Outside and the rodents took it over and made a home. With it never being moved. You're doing all the right things! The only thing I would suggest is some form of rodent prevention. Mothballs or other products. Better safe than sorry.
